Unforeseen Consequences
by LadyWithLight
Summary: No one saw the storm coming. AU. Sequel to “An Unexpected Confidant.” HenryBetty, DanielBetty friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Unforeseen Consequences

By LadyWithLight (a.k.a. Martha)

Summary: No one saw the storm coming. AU. Sequel to "An Unexpected Confidant."

Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty or any of the characters or plotlines from the show. I'm just borrowing.

* * *

"Good morning, Dad!" Betty chirped as she entered the hospital room. Her father, Ignacio Suarez, was being released and she was more than ready to put this situation behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Ignacio said. "I'm ready to get out of here and get things back to normal."

"You and me both," she smiled. "I'll be really happy when I can just forget this whole mess ever happened. Has the doctor released you yet?"

"Said I could leave as soon as someone came to sign me out," he said.

"Well then let's go!"

Betty gathered up Ignacio's personal belongings and they headed toward the door.

"Ignacio Suarez," a voice from the door asked. Betty and Ignacio looked up to see a uniformed officer standing in the doorway.

"Yes," Ignacio replied.

"We're with immigrations and customs enforcement," one of the officers said. "You're going to have to come with us, sir."

"What, why?" Betty demanded.

"Mr. Suarez, you're under arrest."

* * *

A/N: I know, a short start. Feedback is appreciated. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Papi, what is going on? Why did the immigrations officers arrest you?" Betty sat opposite her father in a holding cell waiting room.

"Betty, mi hija, I never got a chance to tell you. The reason that the problem with my Social Security number came up is because I don't have one. Youcan't get one if you're in this country illegally."

"You're in this country illegally?" she whispered. "Why would you do that?"

"I can't tell you here," Ignacio said. "I need you to get me a lawyer."

* * *

The meeting with the lawyer did not go as well as they had hoped. Sure, he seemed pretty confident that he could get Ignacio his visa, but it was going to cost them $20,000. "Where are we ever going to come up with twenty grand?" Betty muttered to herself as she rode the elevator up to the MODE floor. She called Daniel to let him know she would be late, but not the reason.

"Where were you? You missed the Must meeting," Amanda sneered as Betty passed the reception desk on the way through. Betty rolled her eyes and ignored her. In spite of their uneasy détente, Amanda and Betty still verbally sparred with each other on a fairly regular basis.

Betty arrived at her desk and dropped her bag in the chair. She met Daniel's eyes through the glass to his office and he waved for her to come in.

"What's happening?" he asked casually. Betty hesitated. "C'mon, why did picking your dad up from the hospital go from 'I'll be an hour late' to 'I'm going to miss the whole morning'?"

"My dad was arrested this morning," Betty relented.

"Arrested? Ignacio? Why?" Daniel questioned.

Betty walked closer to Daniel and whispered, "Apparently, he's in this country illegally."

"All this time?"

"Yeah," she quavered. "All this time. I knew something was up when the HMO stopped paying for his medicine because they said his Social Security number belonged to a dead man."

"What are you going to do?"

"We're trying to get a lawyer for him, but it seems like we might be a bit out of our price range on this one. The lawyer we saw this morning said it would be $20,000. I have no idea how we're going to scrape that together."

"We'll figure something out," he said comfortingly. Betty looked up at him questioningly. "You're a good friend to me, Betty. I'm not going to let you go through this alone. First things first, I'm going to give you every spare writing assignment that comes up. Those assignments all come with commissions. There's a meeting tomorrow for all editors at Meade to announce some new magazine."

"Thank you, Daniel," she hugged him.

* * *

"Hey, Betty," Henry said casually as he walked up to her desk. He leaned down and pecked her quickly on the cheek. They'd gone on their first date two evenings before, and to Henry's delight it had gone off splendidly. They had gone for sushi and spent the entire evening chatting amiably about anything and everything. "How's your dad?"

Betty sighed and dropped her eyes. "Not great," she said. At his concerned look, she added, "Physically he's okay. But we've run into a bit of a snag."

Before Henry could question her further, Betty's phone rang. "Betty Suarez," she answered quickly.

"Betty, you'll never guess who showed up here offering me $5,000 today," Hilda answered abruptly.

"Hilda, hi,"

"Santos."

"Santos?" Betty questioned. "He just showed up and offered you $5,000?"

"Apparently, he hit the numbers. And he heard about Papi and decided that he wanted to help for once. He also said he wants to start spending some more time with Justin,"

"Do you think he's legit?" Betty asked. "I don't want him to come back into the picture and get Justin's hopes up only to disappoint him again."

"I really think he's finally ready to step up. There was just something in his eyes, Betty," Hilda said. "Only took him twelve years, but I think he's finally ready to be there for his son."

"That's great, Hilda. I was talking to Daniel earlier and he said he would give me all of the writing assignments he can scrounge up: assignments with commissions. Hopefully we'll have the money we need in no time. Any luck finding a second job?"

"Nothing yet, but our luck is really looking up. I'm sure something will turn up."

"Okay, I'll keep my ears open here too. I've got to get back to work. Love you,"

Betty hung up the phone and turned back to Henry. "What's going on?" he asked.

"My dad was arrested this morning at the hospital," Betty told him in a whisper.

"What? Why?"

"As it turns out, my dad has been in this country illegally for thirty years," Betty said. "Immigration officials came to the hospital and arrested him. We've found a lawyer who's willing to help us out, but we have to come up with the money to pay him, so we're sort of scrimping from everywhere."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"If you hear about any jobs for Hilda…"

* * *

A/N: Do you guys think it's all over with Walter? Should he finally go quietly into that good night or will he put up a fight against the charges?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Daniel walked into the room filled with the familiar faces of the editors of Meade Publications. The lunch meeting was to celebrate the launch of a new magazine for women called MYW. Daniel scanned over the people in the room and quickly identified the new face and moved to introduce himself.

"Hi, Daniel Meade. You must be Sofia Reyes, editor of the new magazine we're celebrating."

"Nice to meet you, Daniel." Sofia shook his hand. "To be honest, I hadn't expected you to know why you were here. You surprise me, Daniel."

"My assistant hasn't been able to stop talking about you all week. She really admires your work."

"And you?" Sofia asked. "Do you admire my work?"

"Actually, I've never read any of it," Daniel confessed. "I promise I'll give it a go though. Betty already made me promise, actually."

"Betty?"

"My assistant," Daniel informed. "Actually, I wanted to ask a favor from you. If you have any freelance or filler pieces, will you consider giving them to her? She has a lot of potential, but the assignments for MODE aren't necessarily exactly right for her. Can you do that for me?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

A man in a cheap suit sat across at a table in a private room, conversing with the man he had just been assigned to defend. According to all the police reports, the man was kind of a piece of work. But it was his job to defend him, even if he was a scumbag. That's why the man's defense surprised him. 

"You do realize what this means, don't you?" he asked the man.

"I understand," the younger man replied.

* * *

"You must be Betty," Sofia said as she walked up to the desk. "I'm—" 

"Sofia Reyes!" Betty said excitedly. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a piece for the first issue of my magazine for a series called 'Fish Out of Water.' I want you to write a story about what it's like to be a regular girl working at MODE."

"Really?" Betty was awed by this offer from her hero. "I would love to!"

"You see, you are my target demographic for my magazine. Young, urban, working class woman."

"When do you need the article?"

* * *

That evening, Henry came to the Suarez house for dinner. After, Betty and Henry sat snuggling on the couch, purportedly to watch a movie. However, both were only peripherally aware of the movie, wrapped up as they were in conversation 

"I just can't believe he might be deported," Betty said. The subject had returned to her father's immigration problem. "I mean, he's been here for thirty years; he has a family; he pays taxes; he's a Mets fan."

Suddenly, Henry sat up very straight, even by his standards. "What did you say?"

"He's a Mets fan," Betty repeated.

"Before that," Henry said hastily.

"He pays taxes?"

"If he was paying taxes, I know a good way to get you some more money for the 'Save Papi' fund. Every year, the average taxpayer overpays on their taxes by approximately $100-$500. There is no statute of limitations, so we're talking potentially $3,000-$15,000 that belongs to your father that the government has. All we have to do is look back over all of his returns, and you can get that money back. I can do that for you."

"You'd look over thirty years of tax returns?"

"Anything for you, Betty," he smiled down at her. "Besides, it really wouldn't be too much work."

"Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes.

"Like I said, anything for you,"

They were both silent then, as their lips had other things to do.

A/N: Gentle readers, are things resolving too easily?

A/N: If you've been reading my stories and want to do something nice for me, please visit my profile and answer my thesis survey.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next week was a flurry of activity. Betty busily wrote every article that Daniel could wrangle for her. Henry spent every evening going through the stacks of tax returns, finding extra deductions and submitting them to the government to recover the money. Hilda started a second job at the taco shack down the street. Even little Justin was ready to help out, picking up a morning job delivering newspapers for the Daily News.

When Friday finally rolled around, everyone was ready for a break. Betty was about to head out for the day to Fifty Prince, a swanky downtown hotel, for a review she was writing. She had just shut down her computer when Sofia Reyes, new magazine editor and Betty's personal hero, stopped at her desk. "Betty, great job on this article," she said, handing her the sheaf of marked papers and smiling. "I can't believe what a great writer you are. You are completely wasted at MODE."

Daniel, overhearing the leading comment from the door to his office, took this moment to intervene. "Stop trying to hijack my assistant," he said with a vaguely threatening tone.

"Daniel, don't get jealous, I'm just paying her a compliment. She's a very talented writer."

"I know she is. Why do you think I'm trying to keep her?" Daniel said with a smile. He turned and went back to his office.

"What's his story?" Sofia asked confidentially.

"What do you mean?" Betty wondered. "He's just Daniel. Everyone knows his story."

"He's not quite like I expected from everything I've heard of him," Sofia observed. "He's very protective of you."

"I recently had an," Betty paused. "Incident. He's just trying to look out for me. He's a good friend."

"What kind of incident?"

"A former boyfriend started following me around and spying on me."

"That's all?" Sofia asked.

"And then he showed up at my house and tried to kill me."

"I'm glad he didn't succeed."

"Me too," Betty laughed. "My dad and Daniel tackled him, and my…friend Henry took a bullet for me."

"Just a friend?"

"Okay, you got me, boyfriend."

"That's what I thought," Sofia smiled.

"Well, I've gotta go. Staying at Fifty Prince this weekend for an article for Daniel."

* * *

Later that day, when Betty had left for the hotel, Daniel found Sofia in the MODE conference room. "What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"Don't worry Daniel, we won't disturb your work. There was a fire on our floor and everything is completely wet. Your father said we could use your conference room this weekend until it was cleaned up."

"Oh," Daniel shrugged. "Okay."

"That assistant of yours, she is not what I expected for a guy like you." 

"What does that mean? A guy like me?" he asked.

"Well, you must admit that you have a reputation for being a bit of a womanizer. I expected you to have a blonde assistant with a pretty face and model's body."

"Well, to tell you the truth, that's the kind of assistant I thought I wanted when we hired her. But really, I am so glad that she's what I ended up with. She's very smart and kind. And she looks out for me. She's the best friend I've ever had," he said honestly.

"Just a friend?" Sofia asked.

"Yes, of course. Why would you ask something like that?"

"I think you know why."

* * *

Fifty Prince really was a delectable dreamland. From the minute Betty saw her room, she felt like she was in heaven. Great view, beautiful decorations, everything was as you would expect a place like this to be. She casually made note of everything as it came up. She ordered a massage from the hotel spa, and was slightly surprised when the masseur was a man, instead of the requested woman.

She was a little embarrassed, to say the least, but went ahead with it anyway because she needed to review the service and could not if she did not experience it. About three minutes into her massage, however, there was a knock on the door.

* * *

A/N: Guess who's at the door? You'll never guess. Thanks in advance to reviewers. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The masseur opened the door. The sight awaiting him on the other side surprised him, but he didn't let it show. "Ms. Suarez, someone here to see you," he called over his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up partially on the massage table, taking special care not to reveal too much of herself as she did.

"I'm here to see you," two voices sounded from the doorway.

Daniel and Henry looked at each other questioningly. Finally, Henry spoke, "I came to take you to dinner, if you're free."

"I would love to," Betty said. "Daniel?"

"I just – I don't – that is – " Daniel stuttered.

"Spit it out!"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. But obviously I've come at a bad time. I'll just go."

"Hold on a second. Why did you need to come all the way down here to see how I was doing? You could have just called…or e-mailed."

"Well, it was stupid, really. I thought you might not have any plans for dinner and I came to see if I could take you. But you've got plans now. So I'll just go."

"Aww, that was very sweet of you, Daniel. Thank you."

Daniel turned to leave. Neither Betty nor Henry saw the dejected look on his face as he turned and walked away.

* * *

Betty and Henry sat in the hotel restaurant enjoying the meal and conversation together. Glancing around her, Betty couldn't help but think that she could never have brought Walter to a place like this. He would have complained about the atmosphere, the food, and the dress code. Looking across at Henry, she thought of how well he fit into every aspect of her life. 

"So, now that all of the evil back-taxes are out of the way, how will you be spending your free time?" Betty asked with a mischievous smirk.

"I was hoping that you'd come up with some creative and fun evening activities for me," Henry said, returning the smirk.

"It's the least I can do, I guess,"

"Definitely,"

When they had finished their dinner, Henry walked Betty back to her room. When the reached the door, he touched her arm and she turned to face him. He leaned down and kissed her, a kiss of goodnight and a kiss of promise.

When they finally broke apart, Betty asked breathlessly, "Did you want to come in for a while?"

He nodded and smiled, following her into the room. Once inside, however, an awkward silence ensued. Betty stood rigidly in the center of the room, facing away from the door. Henry waited just behind her.

"Betty?" he asked when she still hadn't moved a minute later. "Is everything okay?"

"I thought that it was time for us to move forward. But I'm just not ready," she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Henry remained unmoving for a moment, shocked by the complete and sudden change in the atmosphere. He strode over to the bathroom door and knocked lightly, hearing Betty's muffled sobs from the other side. "Betty," he said softly, just loud enough that he knew she could hear him through the door. "Betty, come out, we should talk about this."

A muffled reply that sounded vaguely like "Henry go away," returned through the door. But he would not be deterred. "Betty, it's okay. We've only been dating for a few weeks, but I feel like we can tell each other things. Please come out and talk to me about this."

Some muffled sounds followed, then the door opened and Betty emerged, unable to meet his eyes.

Henry felt as though a fist was crushing his heart. He reached out a hand and pulled her into a tight embrace, murmuring comforting words. "I'm so sorry," she said into his chest. "I know that when I asked you up here, you probably thought, and that's what I thought too, but then I thought…"

"It's okay, Betty. We're not ready for it yet."

"I wouldn't blame you for being upset. You had every right to expect…"

"I didn't have any such right. You've been through a lot, and I can understand if you're not ready. I honestly didn't think you would be. I'll be waiting for you, when you are. But it'll be by your timetable. I never want to push you into something. If you ever think that I'm pushing you, tell me and I'll stop. I never want to be responsible for your tears again."

She looked up into his eyes, tears still glistening in her own. Then she smiled up at him, relieved that he understood her trepidation. "Did you want to watch a movie?" she asked shakily.

He laughed, bent down to kiss her soundly on the lips and simply replied, "Sure."

* * *

Daniel woke the next morning with more than a little hangover and a substantial gap in his memory. After leaving Henry and Betty at the hotel, the last thing he remembered was getting into his town car and ordering the driver to take him to the nearest bar. 

Daniel sat up a little bit in his bed and looked around him. On the plus side, he was definitely in his own place. He looked to his left in the bed and saw a thin blonde model-type he didn't recognize. He looked to his right and saw another girl whose name he'd never remember, this one a brunette.

He rose and walked to his bathroom, anxious to wash from himself the stain of his own indiscretions. He hoped, rather cruelly that the women would be gone when he returned.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Henry shifted nervously as he stood in front of Betty's boss. It was always disconcerting to talk to one of the bosses, but even more so when that boss was also a close personal friend of your new girlfriend. Henry quickly went over his recent actions in his mind to ensure that he had done nothing to upset the protective brotherly figure of Daniel Meade. 

"I assume, since my assistant is okay today and not upset in some way, that you took care of her this weekend,"

"Yes, sir," Henry said.

"Good," Daniel said. The conversation seemed almost over and Henry turned to leave, then Daniel spoke again, "I want you to know, Henry, that if you ever hurt her, I'll make what Walter did to you look like a friendly handshake."

The even, controlled tone of his voice belied the violent nature of the threat. "I understand," Henry said. "Believe me, I don't ever want to do anything to hurt her."

"Then we understand each other, I think."

"Yes, sir," Henry replied. "May I ask you sir, if you have feelings for Betty?"

Daniel sighed inwardly and looked down. "If you'd asked me Friday, I would have told you that I thought I did. Do you know, that after I left the hotel on Friday night, I went to the nearest bar, got completely plastered and woke up with two complete strangers in my bed and no memory of getting there. I spent the day Saturday after I got that mess cleaned up doing a little soul searching. I realized that what I thought I was feeling for Betty was just misplaced feelings. I've never had a female friend before. The first week I met Betty, I did everything I could to get her to quit, and she still saved my butt in spite of that. She encourages me to be better than I am. I do feel something better for her, but I think that I was reading more into it than it was."

"It's hard not to get attached to her," Henry said casually. "She's just so infectious."

"Exactly!" Daniel affirmed. "She brought so much sunshine and happiness into my life that it was easy to think that it was something more. But when I'm honest with myself, I'm not attracted to Betty. My father hired her because she wasn't the type of woman I would sleep with. Of course, that's probably part of it."

Henry looked up at him, puzzled.

"Betty's the first woman I've ever been forbidden to have," he explained. "I'm so glad that you were there this weekend, because it stopped me from doing something really stupid."

"You mean, like seducing Betty and then dumping her the next day?" Henry asked. Daniel looked down, ashamed. "I'm glad I was there too, then."

Daniel nodded, meeting Henry's eyes. They had reached their equilibrium. "I can trust you to keep this conversation to yourself?" Daniel asked.

Henry nodded. "No one needs to know."

"Thank you," Daniel said. "Are you going to the arraignment this afternoon?" he changed the subject.

"I was led to believe that I had to be there, since he is charged with assaulting me. But I'd be there to support Betty, either way."

* * *

A/N: Obviously this is officially a Henry/Betty fic. And universe. Sorry D/B fans. Who should I (eventually) give Daniel as a consolation prize? 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Later that day, Betty, Henry, Daniel and Hilda occupied the first row behind the prosecution in a courtroom in Queens. Betty sat quietly as the evidence against her ex-boyfriend was read and the charges made. When the time came, the judge turned to Walter and asked him, "How do you plead?"

Walter, standing across from the judge at the bench replied simply, "Guilty, on all charges."

"You understand, Mr. Johnson, that by pleading guilty to these charges you waive your right to a trial by your peers and submit to whatever sentencing I see fit?"

"Yes, sir," Walter affirmed. "I've caused enough trouble to the people involved in this. I just want to take responsibility for once and not cause Ms. Suarez anymore trouble."

Betty was surprised, to say the least. It seems that the Walter of the last few weeks had disappeared, replaced by the Walter that she remembered from when they first met: the Walter that she had actually liked. It didn't change the outcome, but she was happy to know that she hadn't been entirely wrong about him, after all.

"Very well," the Judge conceded. "Sentencing will be tomorrow at noon."

He slammed his gavel down, and the court went into a flurry preparing for the next case. While he was being led back to his holding cell, Walter looked up and met Betty's eyes. She could see the apology in them.

* * *

The next day, Walter was sentenced to spend the next four years of his life in jail. It was a fair sentence, they decided. His crimes warranted twelve years, but he was granted some leniency for showing remorse. 

That evening found everyone gathered at the Suarez house for a "coming home" celebration for Ignacio. "I want to thank you all for everything you did to help me get home," Ignacio said, looking around the table at his guests. "Henry, Daniel, you were both there for my Betty when she needed help. Thank you both. Santos, you stood up for this family and I never expected that. I hope we will be seeing you around more often. Hilda, Betty, Justin, I love you, mis amores."

"Mr. Suarez, I think I speak for all three of us when I say that we are so glad to have you home," Daniel said.

"What is this 'Mr. Suarez' business. Anyone here who is not comfortable calling me Papi or Grandpa should be calling me Ignacio," Ignacio admonished. "You boys are all family. I would like you all here for Thanksgiving next week, if you can make it. Now, enough of this sentimental stuff, who's ready for some flan?"

* * *

Sofia Reyes could not believe how rotten her luck had been. When she started at Meade, she had plans to seduce Daniel and use his own womanizing against him for her cover article. Surprisingly, she found that he wasn't taking the bait, no matter how many times she threw herself in his path. 

Next, she tried to use the tender looks that passed between Daniel and his homely assistant to her advantage. She subtly hinted to Daniel that he should pursue her, in hope that he actually would. A story about a lecherous skirt-chaser like Daniel Meade victimizing his sweet, innocent, lovable assistant, who just happened to be both plain and in a relationship with another man, would have been just as lucrative as the story on how to tame a playboy.

In truth, her resolution to humiliate Daniel on the cover of her magazine was personal. She hadn't looked this way when she met Daniel years before. He had flirted and teased with her, and then broken her heart after they had been together.

She would find a way to mortify him.

* * *

As usual, Betty was at her desk typing away when Daniel arrived at work the next morning. "Hey!" she said excitedly. 

"Morning, Betty. Can I see you in my office for a minute?"

She followed him into the office and he closed the door behind him. "What's up?" she asked.

"I'm going to be meeting with someone later today. I already set up the appointment for 2:00, I just wanted to let you know," Daniel said.

"Who's the meeting with?"

"I'm meeting with a therapist."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Daniel decided to meet with the doctor in his office, for convenience sake. The two o'clock hour found him laying on the sofa and the doctor sitting in the chair across from him.

"So, Daniel, can you tell me why you wanted to meet with me?"

"I realized that I had a problem," Daniel said.

"What kind of problem?"

"You met my assistant outside?" Daniel gestured to the window, though it was covered with blinds. "I tried to sleep with her."

"Well, while that is surprising, I'd hardly think that indicates a serious psychological problem."

"It's not that I tried to sleep with her, really," Daniel said. "There's nothing inherently wrong with that. It's just that, I realized that I sleep with a lot of women. I use them. I almost used her. Instead, I found and used two anonymous women whose names I never even learned."

"And so the problem is, you use women?"

"Yes, but I think there must be something deeper than that. I don't just use women. I objectify and occasionally destroy them. That's what I was planning to do with Betty. I would have seduced her, made her think she loved me, slept with her and then left her. I would have destroyed everything that is wonderful about her. The only reason I didn't…"

"You didn't because?"

"Her boyfriend was already there to pick her up when I arrived."

* * *

Although he and Betty both tried to be discrete, everyone important in the MODE office knew about his appointments within the day. Word spread around like wildfire that he was seeing a shrink, complete with many rumors and speculation about why.

"So, you think he has a messianic complex?" one woman in a group asked her friends.

"No, no way. He doesn't think he's a god, unless it's a sex god," another replied.

"Which he is,"

"Too true,"

The women all giggled and the group broke apart, returning to their separate tasks.

Amanda glanced up nonchalantly from her desk. The idea of Daniel seeing a therapist intrigued her, and she knew that she had to know why. She headed in the direction of the only person who probably knew, and the person most likely to be unable to keep any sort of secret.

"We have to talk," she said abruptly, pulling Betty away from her desk and toward the ladies room. Once the door was closed, Amanda turned on Betty. "Why is Daniel seeing a shrink?"

"He's not…" Betty lied unconvincingly.

"Oh, come on, everyone in the building knows about his 'appointments.' I just want to know the truth about why. Does it have anything to do with me?"

"Amanda, I have no idea what you are talking about," Betty avoided.

"Betty, please," Amanda said, her tone changing. "I need to know if it has anything to do with our relationship."

Betty looked up at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, she relented. "I really don't know what they are talking about. He hasn't told me. I assume it's private. If it had anything to do with you, Amanda, I would tell you," she paused. "How long have you been in love with him?"

"What, I'm not…"

Betty looked at her with a serious gaze, communicating with her eyes that she knew it was a lie.

"It's so stupid. I knew the rules. He dates anything that moves and I agree to smile and take their messages. I knew that it wasn't a commitment, but I just couldn't stop myself. And now I've fallen for him."

"Amanda, I'm sure that he has some feelings for you. But right now, he's going through his own problems. Maybe when he's gotten himself straightened out, if you're there waiting…"

"Thanks, Betty," Amanda said through a faint glossing of tears. "Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"This conversation never happened."

* * *

"So, Daniel is getting some psychotherapy?"

"Yes," Wilhelmina said to her companion, whose bandages muffled her voice. "It seems that daddy's little boy wonder has a few problems of his own."

"What problems are those, exactly?"

"I haven't been able to find out yet. And word around the office is everything from drug addiction to multiple personalities," she said. "But we will find out."

"I want to hear what's going on in those appointments."

* * *

"I want to hear those appointments," the woman told her assistant, who was holding a notepad and jotting down everything that was said. "I don't care how you get them in, but I need surveillance in his office at least for the sessions with the doctor."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl said. "What do you hope to find out?"

"Anything I can use against him," she said. "Anything big enough for my first cover."

"Yes, Ms. Reyes."

* * *

Daniel arrived Wednesday morning to the sight of Henry looming over Betty's shoulder as she worked out his schedule for the remainder of the week. "Morning, Daniel," she said as he passed by. She picked up a stack of folders from her desk, quickly kissed Henry on the cheek and whispered something in his ear, then followed him into his office. "You have a ten o'clock meeting with the advertising and then lunch at one with those prospective photographers for the next issue. And don't forget you have the brunch tomorrow with your dad at two o'clock in the executive dining room. Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world. Might skip the brunch though,"

"What! Why? You have to go, it's your family!"

"Come on, Betty. It's not really a family gathering. My father invites all his editors so everyone can tell him what a genius he is. And this year my mother is fresh out of detox. She'll be stealing the olives out of martini glasses and sucking the alcohol out of them. Truth is I'd rather spend the time with your family."

"Aww, that's sweet," Betty said. "But suck it up! They're your family, and they need you there. Besides, maybe this will be the year that your father acknowledges all of your hard work in front of all of his colleagues and you finally get the credit you deserve!"

"Maybe," Daniel said, smiling as his watched Betty bounce from his office and back to her desk.

In truth, it was obvious to anyone who looked that Betty had achieved happiness. Since she had been dating Henry, there'd been that special smile on her face. And since everything was taken care of with Walter, she even had an extra spring in her step. Seeing his already very perky and happy assistant on the verge of unparalleled bliss was really quite a treat. Her attitude was infectious, even if no one at MODE really wanted to catch it.

* * *

A/N: Okay, do we want a cheesy Thanksgiving scene? 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Daniel stood in the executive dining room the next afternoon hobnobbing with the usual suspects. Sofia Reyes stood at his left as he spoke to his father and mother about his plans for the rest of the day. "Betty's family invited me for their celebration as well, so I'll at least stop by and spend a few hours. After that I'm probably going to head home. It'll make for a long day."

"I'm surprised that you are invited to the Suarez's for Thanksgiving, Daniel," Sofia said enigmatically.

"Why would you be surprised?" Daniel wondered. "Betty is my assistant and one of my closest friends. Her father is actually the one who invited me, when I was at his celebratory dinner last week. I'm practically a Suarez Special Dinner fixture."

"You mean her father is not upset with you because of what you did to her?"

"What exactly are you talking about?" Bradford spoke up. "What did you do to your assistant, Daniel?"

"I really don't know what she's talking about. Only things I've done 'to' Betty lately have really been more 'for' Betty, like getting her extra writing assignments. I haven't done anything that would make Mr. Suarez unhappy to receive me in his house."

"Oh, that's right, that was just what you 'almost' did," Sofia said then turned and walked away from the group.

Daniel looked at his parents and shrugged, "I really don't know what she means. Betty is my assistant and my friend. She's the best hiring decision anyone in this company ever made."

* * *

Thanksgiving festivities were already underway when Daniel arrived at the Suarez house the next afternoon. "Daniel!" Justin screeched when he opened the door. "Everyone's here now!" 

"Hey, Justin," Daniel said with a sheepish smile. Daniel always enjoyed the boy's enthusiasm. "Hope I didn't keep the party waiting."

"Oh, no, everyone was just talking, but dinner is in like two minutes, so you're just in time."

Daniel entered the living room to see Henry and Betty snuggled on the couch, mostly oblivious to everyone else in the room. Christina and Santos were sitting in chairs opposite them, talking about football, of all things. Christina, it seems, developed a love of American football because of the burly men in tight pants. "Hey everyone," Daniel said.

"Hi, Daniel!" Betty called, not getting up from the couch. "Right on time. How was the brunch?"

"Exactly like I expected it would be, but no worse," Daniel said. "Nothing to get excited over."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry that it wasn't better," Betty said sincerely.

"Everyone to the table, dinner is served," Hilda called from the doorway, saving Daniel from further explanation.

The dinner table, which normally held only four people for their family dinners, was slightly overcrowded with the group of eight present. Still, everyone was quite happy to be part of this dinner, even if it was a little overpopulated. "Before we start, I just want to say how thankful I am for each and every one of you. Santos, I am so thankful that you were here for my family when they needed you, but even more so that you are going to be here for Justin now." Santos and Ignacio shared a look and Santos nodded in tacit understanding. "Henry, I am thankful for you for saving my little girl, in more ways than one." Henry and Betty shared a smile and he reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Daniel and Christina, I am thankful for you for being such good friends to Betty. You were there for her when she really needed someone and when I couldn't be there."

"Hilda, Betty, I am so thankful to have both of my daughters. You are my rocks. Justin, you bright joy and happiness to this family just by being in it."

Everyone was a little misty as Ignacio finished his speech. "Papi," Hilda said, tears glistening in her eyes and evident in her voice.

"Grandpa, now you've gone and made everyone cry," Justin rolled his eyes. Ignacio looked around the table for confirmation. Even Santos, the notorious machismo, looked a little misty around the eyes.

"Okay, enough of this sappiness. I must be getting sentimental in my old age. Let's eat," Ignacio said.

* * *

"Thank you again, Betty, for making this the best Thanksgiving I've had in a long time. Maybe ever," Daniel said as Betty walked her three friends to the car. Daniel was taking both Christina and Henry home.

"You're welcome, Daniel. I'm glad that our little family dinner made the day better." She hugged him. "Thanks for coming, Christina."

"Oh, thank you for having me. It was a very charming holiday," she gave Betty a quick hug. "Come on, Daniel, let's give these two love birds a moment to say goodbye." Christina pulled Daniel toward the town car and out of sight.

"Thank you again for coming," Betty said, turning to hug him.

"Anything for you. Probably the best Thanksgiving I've ever had." He leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips, lingering for a few seconds. "You're coming to my apartment for dinner tomorrow, right? Just the two of us?" She nodded. "Good. I can hardly wait. Goodnight, Betty."

* * *

A/N: Obligatory cheesy holiday scene? Check!

A/N: Please, please, please go to my profile and answer my thesis survey….Pretty please!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next day, Daniel called Betty in to work unexpectedly. All Ignacio understood was something about a special photo shoot with some celebrities. At four o'clock, Henry arrived at the Suarez house, fully aware that Betty was not going to be there yet. She had called him earlier and mentioned that the photo shoot was running a little long, but that she would be out as soon as possible.

"Henry," Hilda said in surprise when she opened the door for him. "You're early! Betty's not even home yet. Come in, come in."

Hilda ushered him into the kitchen, where, as usual, Ignacio was leisurely at work on that evening's meal. "Henry, you're early," he said, glancing up from his telenovella to give the younger man a quick smile. "Betty should be back soon, I think."

"I know, I just, I was, that is,"

"Something on your mind, son?" Ignacio asked.

Henry smiled secretly to himself. It was the first time in his life that another man had called him son. It felt good; like he was a part of something: a part of a family. It wasn't that his own family was not enough for him. He'd always had his mother, and she had always been more than adequate, but there was something about being a part of a larger family that had always appealed to Henry.

"Betty," he replied.

"Just the usual, or something particular?" Ignacio asked.

"Well, something particular," Henry said, sitting down at the table across from Ignacio. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay with my relationship with Betty."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"No reason in particular," Henry said. "But I know how protective you are of your family, and I wouldn't want to be one of the things you have to protect your daughter from. I want to help you protect her."

"I don't think either one of us have anything to worry about," Ignacio said.

"Hello!" Betty's voice sounded from the front of the house. Both Henry and Ignacio turned to the door. When she turned the corner, she jumped a little in pleased surprise. "Oh! Henry, you're here already." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's perfect," he said with a smile. "You ready to go?"

"Let me just run upstairs and change really quick," she said. "You probably can't tell, but baby Chutney threw up on this shirt this morning."

"Baby Chutney!" Justin squealed from the other room. "I have to have that shirt, Aunt Betty."

Betty rolled her eyes as she left the room to go upstairs, Justin hot on her trail.

"What do you have planned for my girl tonight?" Ignacio asked when they were alone again.

"I'm cooking her dinner at my apartment," Henry said. "Just a quiet night in. We haven't had many of those lately."

"That sounds very nice."

"Okay, ready to go," Betty said, reappearing in the door to the kitchen. "Bye, Dad,"

"Mi hija, can I talk to you for a second?" Ignacio asked. "Just really quickly."

"Sure," she said. Henry walked to the front door and stood waiting, smiling as he listened to Justin raving about Tim, Chloe and baby Chutney from upstairs. "What's up?" Betty asked her father.

"I wanted to know if you'd be coming home tonight?" he got right to the point.

"I-I," Betty stuttered. "I don't know."

"Okay," he said. "Either way, have a good time. And be safe. Te quiero." He kissed her on the forehead.

"Love you too."

"Ready?"

* * *

"Let's see what you've been up to this week, Daniel," Sofia sat at her desk, the only person left on the MYW floor. She inserted the first tape of her recordings of Daniel's office, pressing play.

"I use women," Daniel's voice sounded loud and clear from the recording. Sofia smiled. The money she had spent on surveillance had been well worth it. "I use my charm and my money and my looks to get women into bed with me. And then I never call them. If they're lucky, they'll get a generic bracelet from Tiffany's as a memento."

"And what would Betty have gotten?"

"I…I'm not sure," he said. "I would never have sent her a necklace from Tiffany's. Because she's not that kind of girl."

"What kind of girl is she?"

"She's a simple girl, a real girl. She'd never wear a necklace from Tiffany's. Too pretentious," Daniel explained. "I'm not sure that there would have been an appropriate consolation gift."

"I see."

"Oh, Daniel, this is pure gold," Sofia said, smiling with unrestrained glee. "This is going to make up for everything, and make my magazine a hit."

* * *

"Dinner was great," Betty said conversationally as she sat snuggled on the couch next to Henry after their meal. "You're a very good cook."

"You say that like it's a big surprise to you," Henry smiled. "My mother taught me to cook when I was young and I guess it's just something you never forget about."

"She sounds like a great woman, your mother,"

"She's the best. She's going to love you," he said. "Oh, I almost forgot. I won't be going to Tucson for Christmas after all. She's decided to come here instead. It's usually just the two of us for Christmas anyway, so she wanted to come here so that she could meet you."

"That's great," Betty said. "I'm looking forward to meeting the woman who could raise such a wonderful son."

Henry blushed, attempting to stammer out a protest to her compliment. "No, I'm serious," she said. "You're wonderful, Henry."

She leaned over and kissed him soundly.

"You've just been so understanding."

She kissed him again.

"And you're so caring."

And again.

"And funny."

And again.

"And cute."

And again.

"And sexy," she whispered.

"Betty," he whispered, his voice ragged and tortured.

"Henry, I'm ready," Betty whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Betty woke slowly, feeling slightly disoriented by her surroundings. An unfamiliar weight pressed against her and her body twined with another. Henry. She smiled as she shifted more fully into his embrace. She looked into his face and saw that his eyes were open, watching her.

"Good morning, beautiful girl," he whispered, kissing her brow.

"Good morning, handsome," she whispered back. "What a wonderful way to wake up."

"I can't think of anything that would make me happier than waking up with you in my arms," Henry said, kissing her. Betty's stomach chose this moment to make itself known. Betty turned red and covered her face with her hands. He took her hands and moved them away from her face, kissing her quickly one last time. "Don't move a muscle. I'm going to make you breakfast."

Betty watched as he rose from the bed and headed toward the kitchen. She leaned back on the pillows, smiling to herself as she remembered the events of the night before.

"_Henry, I'm ready," Betty whispered._

_She leaned in to kiss him firmly, more forcefully than she had ever kissed him before._

"_Are you sure," he asked breathlessly._

"_I love you, Henry. I'm sure."_

"_Oh Betty, I love you too,"_

_No more words were said as they expressed their feelings through actions, kissing passionately, hands roaming. "Henry," she murmured. "Let's take this to the bedroom."_

_He rose from the couch, extending his hand to his love. Without another word, they moved into this new territory, succumbing to their passions and desires._

"Everything okay?" Henry's voice broke her from her reverie. He had returned from the kitchen with breakfast for two. He slid back into bed beside her, taking care not to upset the balance of the plates he was carrying.

"Yeah, everything's perfect."

* * *

The bulk of December flew by in a blur. Between the current issue of MODE, year end budget approvals, party planning and Christmas shopping, Betty and Henry managed to find time to see each other, though it was sometimes just a stolen moment in the halls at work. Before they could catch their breath, it was Christmas Eve. 

The Suarez house bustled with activity as the family prepared to receive their guests. While Hilda, Betty and Ignacio were in the kitchen preparing a feast to rival that of their Thanksgiving dinner, Justin was in the living room, putting more finishing touches on the already perfect Christmas decorations. A knock sounded on the door and Justin ran excitedly to the door and opened it. "Henry!" he squealed. He then noticed the older woman who had arrived with him. "And this must be your mom. I'm Justin. Come in; let me take your coats. You're the first one's here. Henry, you have to see the gift I made for my dad before he gets here. I hope he likes it. I worked really hard on it."

"Hey, Justin. Merry Christmas," Henry said with a chuckle. The boy was even more animated than usual and talking a mile a minute in his excitement. "Where's your Aunt Betty?"

"She's in the kitchen with Mom and Grandpa," Justin said. "I've got to finish the new decorations!" He turned and ran back into the living room.

Henry smiled and led his mother into the kitchen. Betty stood at the sink with her back to the door, water running. She obviously hadn't heard him come in. Hilda saw him come in and started to greet him, but he brought his finger to his lips to request her silence. Mischievous smile on his face, he crept up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, kissing her on the cheek.

"Henry!" Betty said, turning around in his arms. "I didn't hear you come in!"

"I noticed," he said with a smile. He turned her around so that she was facing the doorway where his mother still stood. "Betty, this is my mother, Elaine Grubstick. Mom, this is Betty."

Appearance-wise, Elaine Grubstick was almost the exact opposite of her son. Where he was tall and lanky, she was short and curvy. He had dark hair and eyes, while she had red hair and light eyes. The only trait they shared, it seemed, was their smile.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," both Betty and Elaine said simultaneously. Both smiled at the meshed words. "Henry's told me so much about you." They spoke in unison again. This time, Betty laughed and added, "This is my sister, Hilda, and my father, Ignacio."

"It really is nice to meet all of you," she said sincerely.

"Dinner's almost ready, hija," Ignacio said. "Why don't you show our guests into the living room while Hilda and I finish up."

The trio went into the living room. Immediately Justin took the opportunity to show Henry the gift he had created for his father. "Do you think he'll like it?" he asked hopefully.

Henry wasn't really sure what the gift was supposed to be. It involved a lot of glitter and was very beautiful; and very Justin.

"I'm sure he'll love it," Henry said. In truth, he was not really sure, but he hoped that the very machismo Santos would be able to expect this gift from his very sparkly son. Before he could ponder this thought further, a knock sounded at the front door.

"He's here! Dad's here!" Justin sang excitedly. He quickly thrust his gift in the box and replaced the neatly pre-wrapped lid. He ran excitedly to open the door.

"Hey, look at you, little man," Santos said. "I swear you get bigger every time I see you."

"It's only been like a week," Justin said.

"Everyone into the kitchen!" Ignacio called. "Dinner's ready."

* * *

"My turn!" Justin sang with glee, reaching to pick up the large box his father brought for him. The group had finished dinner and now sat opening gifts in front of the Christmas tree. 

"The gift is a two-parter," Santos said.

The boy ripped away the paper and opened the top of the box. "A basketball," he asked dubiously, pulling the offending item from the box to examine it closely. "Thanks," he said, unenthusiastically.

"I thought that you might let me teach you to play," he explained. The Suarez family collectively sighed. Santos, it seemed, was still completely unable to appreciate the son he had instead of trying to make him a smaller version of himself. "Look in the bottom. There's more."

Justin sat the ball aside gingerly and reached back into the box, pulling out a non-descript white envelope. "Tickets?" he said, opening the envelope. "To The Lion King?"

"You and I are going to the show together next week," Santos replied. "I know how much you like all that musical stuff, and I want you to share it with me. And I thought maybe you would let me share how much I love basketball with you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Justin said, getting up to hug his father.

Betty smiled, thinking that they may have misjudged Santos. She leaned back to settle more securely into Henry's arms as the gift opening resumed. For a moment, there were no work emergencies, no immigration issues, no jealous ex-boyfriends and no nervous apprehension. All was right with the world.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The MODE New Year's party was in full swing. Only about half of the normal group of employees had turned out for this party, because New Year's in New York boasted many greater attractions than a party at an office building. This, however, did not make the party any less enjoyable for the people who had turned out. The atmosphere was at once festive and intimate, and Betty found she much preferred this type of party to the over-crowded loud ones that they usually had.

Champagne was passed around and everyone was gathered in groups talking and dancing, anticipating the approaching hour. Betty was so wrapped up in her conversation with Christina about her submissions for the MODE fashion show that she didn't notice when Daniel walked quietly and casually up to Amanda. "Hey, Amanda," Daniel said. "Can I talk to you in private for a few minutes?"

Amanda excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with Marc, admiring the new photographer for the next issue and walked with Daniel into a secluded corner away from prying eyes and gossipy ears.

"Amanda, I've been thinking a lot about what I did to you. I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. I never meant to hurt you." Daniel started. "I was hoping that maybe we could try to be friends, and then maybe see where it goes. But slow."

"Are you sure that with everything that's happened, we can be friends?" Amanda asked.

"I really want us to try to forget about the past. I feel like a completely different person now than I was when I did those things to you. I really want to try to make a new start, Amanda."

"It's time for the countdown!" someone shouted from the party.

"We better get back out there," he said. They walked back into the party and joined the rest of the group. He caught Betty's eye across the crowd as she stood with Henry and gave her a smile.

"5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!" everyone shouted in celebration.

As Henry leaned down to kiss Betty, Daniel took the same initiative with Amanda, kissing her quickly. "You know," Henry said casually. "They say that whoever you are with when the clock strikes midnight is who you'll spend the year with."

Betty smiled and reached up to kiss him again. "Just so there's no doubt," she said.

* * *

As the party started to wrap up, Betty found Daniel sitting alone in his office. "What are you doing in here alone?" she asked. 

"Just thinking about a resolution I've made," Daniel said.

"I saw you with Amanda," she said nonchalantly.

"She's a part of the resolution," he said. "I'm resolving to treat women better. And specifically to make up the hurt I've caused some of the women in my past."

"I think that's a great resolution, Daniel," Betty said. "I'll do my very best to help you keep it."

"Thank you Betty," he said.

"Well, Henry and I are going to call it a night. I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Goodnight, Betty."

* * *

Five minutes later, Betty and Henry caught a cab to take them to his apartment for the night. "That was a great party," Henry said. 

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun," Betty replied. "I wish Sofia could have come though. Her first issue comes out next week, and I really wanted to talk to her about it. I'm so excited to see how it turns out."

"You've got a few articles in there, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited to see my name in print in a magazine like MYW," Betty said. "It was great to see it in MODE for the hotel review, but I think it's so much more exciting when it's a magazine that's geared toward empowering young women. Sofia says I'm the key demographic for her magazine, so I hope that my articles really appeal to her readers and I'll be able to write for her in future issues."

"I think you'll be wonderful at it," Henry said. "I can't wait to see that magazine."

A/N: Wow, three cheesy holiday scenes in one piece of fiction. That's got to be a record. Now that I've got all of that sweet, sugary stuff out of my system, it's time for the plot to actually unfold. Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The next Monday, the scheduled day for Sofia's magazine debut, started out like any other morning for the Suarez family. Hilda, Betty and Ignacio rushed around trying to get ready for their individual days. At the same time, Justin sat down with his breakfast to catch his morning dose of Fashion TV.

"Sofia Reyes, girl-power writer extraordinaire rocked the fashion world this morning with her shocking exposé of MODE editor-in-chief and notorious playboy Daniel Meade." The usual Fashion TV anchor orated. A picture of Daniel appeared on the screen beside him. On hearing this, Betty appeared in the kitchen door, looking at the television in alarm. "The article expounds on all of his seductions and betrayals. Perhaps most scandalous of all, are the sordid details of his relationship with plain Jane assistant Betty Suarez." To her horror, a picture that she had hoped would never surface again appeared on the screen beside that of Daniel; a picture from her first week at MODE; a picture of her wearing a red and black faux leather outfit that was way too small and skimpy for her.

The picture changed as the story shifted to another fashionable scandal and Hilda, who had also come to stand in the kitchen doorway reached over and turned off the television. "Oh, Betty," she said.

"Aunt Betty," Justin said hesitantly. He handed her a plain brown envelope about the size of a magazine. "This was under the door this morning."

Hesitantly, Betty took the envelope from him and opened. Just as she expected, inside was a copy of MYW. On the cover was a picture of Daniel, probably a press publicity shot, and the words "Confessions of a Sex Addict." She flipped open the magazine and turned to the article in question. "I use women. I use them for sex and then I move on to the next one," the article started boldly. Although the article was Sofia's, the article was entirely not her usual style. The article was, in fact, mostly quotes from Daniel. "When would he have said these things?" Betty whispered. A few paragraphs in, she figured it out. "The therapy sessions."

She scanned through the article, looking for the point of contention that had led the people at Fashion TV to even mentioning her name on air. As she turned the first page, she found her answer. "The Seduction of Betty Suarez?" she read aloud. Had Sofia written an entire subsection of the article dedicated to some fictional affair between her and Daniel?

"It all started when I sent her to a hotel for a writing assignment. I went there that night for her. I said it was to take her to dinner. But everyone knows what dinner really means for a guy like me."

"Oh my God," Betty said.

"Betty, are you…"

"I've got to go," she said, grabbing her bag from the table and bursting through the front door.

* * *

Henry prepared for work that morning with a smile in his heart and on his face. The past few months had been some of the happiest of his life. He was especially happy on this morning, however, because he was excited for Betty, seeing her articles printed and getting one step closer to her dreams. Having already finished most of his morning ablutions, Henry was about to don his tie and sweater vest when a knock sounded on his door. 

Wondering who would call at this early hour, Henry went to the door and opened it, only to find a very upset Betty catapulting into his arms. The force and speed of Betty's arrival caused him to stumble; he barely caught himself before they were both sprawled on the floor. "Betty?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

She wordlessly handed him the magazine, opened to the page of the article featuring her picture. Burying her face in his chest, Betty let out a muffled sob. He took the magazine from her, quickly scanning through the content and taking note of the pictures. A flash of white-hot anger coursed through him as he realized the damage that had been inflicted on her. Without a word, he protectively wrapped his arms around her and just let her cry.

After a few minutes, she began to choke out her feelings between sobs. How she felt betrayed, used, and belittled. The words Daniel had used about her made her feel cheap. How Sofia had put the article where she had referred to Daniel as one of her best friends right across the page, making her look naïve and gullible. In the warm cocoon of his arms, Betty cried until she couldn't cry anymore, finally falling asleep against his chest.

* * *

"How could you let this happen?" Bradford Meade shouted at his son from across his desk. "The Meade family reputation is the most important thing to this family and this company. I can't believe you allowed these things to be published about you!" 

"I allowed them? I didn't allow this! All of the quotes in that article were from my private therapy sessions and taken completely out of context. I don't know how she even got them!" Daniel shouted back. "The damage to our reputation is the least of my worries."

"What could you be worried about more than our reputation?" Bradford wondered.

"Betty," Daniel said simply. "This article will hardly affect my reputation at all. Everyone already knows that I'm a 'playboy' and a 'man whore.' They call me that on Fashion TV all the time. Everyone already knows that I use women and dump them the next day. What they didn't know was everything about Betty in that article. The world hadn't seen those pictures of her, in her most embarrassing moment. She's the one who's getting hurt here. And I'm afraid she's going to leave because of it. She didn't come in to work this morning and when I called her house her sister said that she left."

"You better not let that happen, Daniel," his father said. "Don't think I don't know that she's been practically doing your job since she came here. That the idea for the Fabia layout was hers, that she got Vincent Bianchi to shoot the holiday spread. I'll take care of Sofia, but you better take care of Betty."

* * *

A few hours had passed since Betty had barged into his apartment and Henry found himself sitting on the couch, a sleeping Betty nestled in his arms. He simultaneously felt sorrow at the pain she was feeling and intense anger at Daniel and Sofia for causing that pain. Betty shifted slightly in her sleep, sniffling against his chest. Henry tightened his arms around her, hoping to convey a calm that he didn't feel to his dozing girlfriend. 

Betty's cell phone began to vibrate in her bag. Thinking that it might be her family, worried about her whereabouts, Henry eased out from under her on the couch and picked up the phone from her purse. He checked the caller id, and when he saw the name, he immediately answered it by whispering harshly, "How could you have let this happen?"

"Henry, thank God," Daniel's voice sounded from the other end of the line. "Is she okay?"

"No, she's not okay! Of course she's not okay!" Henry's voice was still low, but intense. He paced across the room, tension showing in his body language even if no one was there to see it. "She cried for hours, Daniel. She feels hurt, betrayed, used. I can't believe you let this happen."

"I didn't know it was happening until it already did," Daniel said. "Look, can I talk to Betty?"

"She's asleep, Daniel," Henry said. "And I'm not going to wake her."

"Okay, I understand," Daniel said. "Would you just please have her call me when she does wake up?"

"I'll tell her you called," Henry promised. "It's her decision if she wants to call you."

"I really didn't mean for any of this to happen," Daniel said.

"It doesn't matter what you meant to happen," Henry interrupted heatedly. "What matters is that it did happen. It happened and Betty is hurt."

"I don't know what I can do," Daniel started.

"You fix this!" Henry shouted. "I don't care what you have to do! Find a way to make this right!" He snapped the phone shut in disgust and turned abruptly back toward the couch, only to find Betty awake and looking at him expectantly. His voice and demeanor immediately softened when he looked at her. "Betty, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"A little better, I guess," she answered. He sat back down on the couch beside her and put his arm around her, kissing her on the top of her head. "Thank you for being here for me. Who was on the phone?"

"Daniel," Henry said.

"Oh," Betty said, reality crashing back in on her. "I guess I should go to work."

"Only if you want to," Henry said. "Daniel can take care of himself today."

* * *

A/N: If you are curious as to why I would hurt our protagonist so much, I simply had to find a way to write comforting Henry and angry Henry into this story. Don't hate me, she'll be fine. 

A/N: Reviews feel like sunshine after a thunderstorm.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The elevator's bell sounded announcing the car's arrival on the 27th floor of Meade Publications. The doors opened and the car's sole occupant stepped out. Women of all types, from writers and secretaries to editors and layout designers glanced toward the man, waiting for him to speak. "Everyone in the conference room in two minutes," Bradford Meade announced.

When all had assembled, including their leader, Sofia Reyes, Bradford Meade began his announcement. "I assume that you all know why we are having this impromptu meeting?" he asked. Everyone in the room glanced at one another, saying nothing. "This magazine published an inflammatory piece about a member of my family."

"Everything published in that article was a direct quote from your own son," Sofia said in her own defense.

"You think that makes it okay to denigrate your employer?" Bradford questioned. "You signed a contract that promises your loyalty to Meade Publications. I am invoking that clause. Let this serve as an example to all of you to respect the man who signs your paychecks."

Bradford took a deep breath and addressed the room. "If anyone had tried to warn me or come to me about this article that I'm sure you all knew about, you could have saved your jobs," he warned. "As it is, you are all fired. MYW will not be publishing another issue and we will be retaining all of the rights to every part of the magazine as stated in our previous contract. Clear out your offices, you need to be gone by the end of the day."

Without another word, Bradford turned and exited the room.

* * *

Daniel hung up the phone after his conversation with Henry and buried his head in his hands. He had really screwed up this time. Earlier that morning he had hired a team to sweep his office for bugs. The results had been surprising. Their findings had shown that at least two people and as many as five were keeping track of Daniel. The bugs were removed and his privacy restored. But that didn't erase the damage that had been done or the sick feeling that someone had been watching and listening to everything that happened in his office. 

Sensing a presence in the door to his office, Daniel raised his head. He found himself face to face with none other than Amanda. He inwardly cringed as he thought of what she might have to say about this. He had just reestablished a tentative "friendship that will possibly lead to something deeper" with Amanda. He hated to think it, but it was possible that this unstable relationship would not stand the test of Sofia Reyes's punishing article. If it were true, she really would have damaged him after all.

The conversation started out in fairly neutral territory. "Is Betty going to be in today?"

"I don't think she will," Daniel sighed. "I didn't get to speak to her when I called, but Henry made it sound like she wouldn't be in."

"What should I do about all the calls?" Amanda asked.

"Calls?"

"Reporters have been calling about Betty all day," Amanda said. She then realized that she needed to mask her concern in a layer of disdain, so she added, "It's really kind of annoying. It's not like she's done anything really newsworthy."

"Get rid of them if you can. We're not going to comment on the article right now," Daniel said.

Amanda turned to leave the office, but Daniel called out her name to stop her from leaving. "Amanda, are we okay?" he asked, feeling uncharacteristically timid.

Daniel quietly feared her answer. There was a strong possibility that Betty was going to quit her job, and he didn't know what he'd do if Amanda left him too. When Daniel had started hashing out all of the details of his life in his sessions, two things involving Amanda had come to the fore. First, he realized that he really regretted the way he had treated her. Then he acknowledged that he felt a real connection with the blonde receptionist. Amanda was a nice girl, in spite of how mean she liked to pretend, and Daniel knew that her feelings for him ran deep and were genuine, not just based on the fact that he was Daniel Meade. Sex with Amanda was good, but it wasn't just about sex. They talked. She made him feel relaxed and happy. She made him forget who he was.

"I know that the things she tried to say about you in that article aren't true anymore," Amanda said. "More than anything, I know that you wouldn't have ever done anything to hurt Betty. And really, there wasn't anything for me to be mad about."

After a pause she added. "Yeah, we're okay."

Amanda turned her back and flounced out of the room.

* * *

"Are you feeling any better?" 

Betty and Henry sat together on his couch, his arms around her. She took a deep breath, rubbing his arm as she answered, "Yeah, I actually am feeling a little better." She paused. "Thanks to you."

"Everything was just so overwhelming at first," she said. He tightened his arms around her and kissed her temple. "I just felt like everything was closing in on me, and all I could think was 'I need Henry.' Pretty silly, huh?"

"It's not silly at all," he assured her. "You're always so strong: taking care of everyone. Hilda, Justin, your father, Daniel, even me. It's okay if you need someone for a change. And I want to be that someone."

Betty smiled and reached up to pull him down for a quick kiss. "I want you to be that someone too," she said. "You've been so perfect today, and helped me forget about what was going on."

She paused and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do, but she still dreaded it.

"I think I have to face this now."

* * *

"Well, I hope you're happy." 

Daniel looked up at the sound of the familiar and unwelcome voice. "Why on earth would I be happy about what you've done?"

"You went crying to your daddy and got him to fire me," she said. "You couldn't handle that the world knew the truth about you and you got me fired."

"I didn't get you fired, Sofia," Daniel said. "I didn't even know you were fired. My father made that decision on his own."

They stood staring at one another in a standoff. A few moments of silence passed before Daniel continued, "Why did you do this?"

"You don't remember me, do you?" Sofia asked. "I guess that's probably to be expected. I've changed a lot since we knew each other. But I remember you, Daniel. I remember what you did to me. I saw what you did to all of the other women. It took me years to get over it."

"Look, if I did something to you, I'm really sorry," Daniel said. "That's part of the reason that I started getting the therapy. I realized how much what I was doing was hurting people."

"And you think that being sorry for what you've done makes up for it?" Sofia asked. "You had to be made to pay for what you'd done."

"You still think you were punishing me?" Daniel asked incredulously. "Are you so caught up with your own revenge against me that you can't even see what you've done?"

"I-"

"You didn't damage my reputation!" Daniel yelled. "Everyone already knew I was a womanizer and a playboy and used women for sex. The only person you really hurt is Betty. You were so focused on hurting me that you didn't care who you trampled on in the process."

"I didn't hurt Betty, you did," Sofia said. "You confessed it yourself in your sessions. The way you tried to get her to quit, how you made her wear that ridiculous pleather outfit. You tried to pull the same love 'em and leave 'em with her that you did with all the others."

"Yes, I get it. I hurt Betty," Daniel said. "But before today, the only people who knew about it were Betty and I and the people who were there that day. Now everyone else knows about it too. You took her most embarrassing moment and broadcast it for all the world to see."

Sofia was speechless.

"She idolized you," he told her. "Even before you came here, she talked about how much she liked you writing, how she wanted to be like you."

"I hope that she never becomes like you."

* * *

Henry and Betty arrived at the Meade building without incident. However, getting inside the building was another story. The lobby of the building and the street outside were crowded with reporters looking for a juicy quote about the exposé and a quote from Betty Suarez would be the ultimate of juiciness. 

The reporters shouted a jumble of questions at them as the two tried to hurry toward the elevator. When they arrived, the doors magically opened and Amanda stepped out, saying "Who wants to see some more of Betty's modeling photos?" Cringing silently at the idea, Betty took the lesser of two evils and took the opportunity to slip into the elevator. As the doors closed, she heard Amanda say in a falsely embarrassed voice, "Oh, my mistake, these are _my_ modeling photos."

Betty and Henry shared a smile as the elevator began to rise. "That was nice of her," Henry said casually.

"She can be like that sometimes," Betty remarked.

The elevator doors opened on the third floor and Henry began to step out of the elevator. He reached back in and placed his hand over the edge of the door, halting its closing. "Are you sure you don't want me to come up with you?" Henry asked one last time, just to be sure.

"No, I think this is something I have to face alone," she said confidently. "But you'll be here if I need you?"

"Always."

He removed his hand and allowed the doors to close.

Betty took a deep breath as the elevator resumed its trip to the Mode floor. She closed her eyes as she mentally prepared herself for what awaited her when she left the quiet solitude of the elevator for the boisterous maelstrom that is Mode.

All too soon, the car arrived on the floor and the doors opened. Ignoring the not-so-subtle stares of her coworkers, Betty walked determinedly in the direction of her boss's office.

Daniel was once again alone in his office when Betty arrived. He looked up from the papers he had been staring at when he felt her presence at the door. "Betty," he sighed with relief. "I am so glad to see you."

"Daniel," Betty said levelly, coming to sit down at the desk across from him.

"Betty, I'm so sorry," Daniel said. He rose and came around to the front of the desk, sitting in another chair beside her. "I never meant for anything like this to happen to you."

"Why did she do it?" Betty asked. "She was so nice to me. She kept asking me to write articles and asking for my opinions. The whole time she was setting me up to look like a fool."

"She didn't set out to humiliate you, Betty. She was trying to get back at me," Daniel explained. "You just got caught in the crossfire."

"Get back at you for what?" Betty asked.

"I didn't remember her, but she was one of the first women I hurt, Betty," Daniel said. "She wrote the article to expose me. She didn't want to hurt you, but I know she did."

Both sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Daniel continued, "In exchange for getting my father not to shut down her magazine and blacklist her, Sofia is going to hold a press conference and say that the story was a sham. She's going to say that she made the whole thing up."

"What about the photograph?" Betty asked.

"Unfortunately, there's really nothing that can be done about that," Daniel said, remorse evident in his voice.

"I guess I'll have to live with it then," Betty said, with a little shakiness in her voice.

Again the two sat in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Betty spoke again, "Did you really say all of those things?"

"Everything was taken out of context, Betty," Daniel justified. "But yes, I did say them."

"So, you really just think that I'm some naïve little fashion victim who would have fallen down at your feet the moment you decided to hit on me?" Betty said. "You thought that all you had to do was show up and I would have just fallen into bed with you?"

"It's how I saw most women at the time," Daniel said. "And in my own defense, it has almost always been true. I've been able to get a lot of women to sleep with me just by being Daniel Meade: rich, good-looking and charming. It was when I almost tried to do that to you that I realized that I needed help."

Daniel had tried to take her hand as he spoke, but Betty pulled away and rose to her feet. Her eyes flashed as she turned on Daniel and began to unleash a tirade. "So, the idea of sleeping with me is so ridiculous and repulsive that it made you think you were crazy?"

"No, Betty, it's not like that at all," he pleaded, rising to face her again. "You're very attractive, Betty. And in spite of what anyone might say, I can see those attractions about you. But you're also my best friend. Probably one of the only real friends I've ever had. And I almost ruined that because I wanted to have sex with you. I wanted to have sex with you because I wasn't supposed to."

"Because your father hired me because he thought I was the last person on earth you'd want to sleep with?" Betty said, hurt look on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Yes," Daniel said. "But it's more than that. I wasn't supposed to sleep with you because you were my assistant and I was supposed to be a professional. And because you had a boyfriend. And because we weren't in the same social circles. And because you 'weren't my type.' It felt like you were the only woman in the city that I couldn't have. So you were the only one I wanted."

Daniel took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. "That day, after I went to your hotel and saw you there with Henry, I went out and got drunk and found to random strangers to sleep with. That's why I knew I needed help."

"Okay,"

"You're not going to quit are you?" Daniel whispered.

Betty turned to look at him, surprised. "What makes you think I want to quit?"

"It's just, I thought you might not want to work with me anymore because of this," he said. "I've humiliated you and this press conference Sofia is going to give isn't going to just make that go away."

"I'm not going to quit, Daniel," she said. "I love this job, and I love working in publishing and this job is a great stepping stone into the industry."

Daniel smiled in relief. Betty began walking toward the door to the office, then stopped and turned back around.

"But let's just get one thing straight," she said. "Never, under any circumstances would I have slept with you that night, Daniel."

Without another word, Betty turned and walked sassily from the room, going to her desk and sitting down to begin sifting through the days work.

* * *

At the end of the day, Betty once again found herself at the door to Henry's apartment, though with a much better disposition. "God, what a day!" Betty said, leaning against Henry as he worked on the lock. 

"I'm really proud of you for facing it," Henry said, opening the door and allowing her to enter the apartment before him. "You were hurt and scared and you could have just run away from the people who did this, but you went back and confronted them."

"I'm proud of me too," Betty said with a bit of cheekiness to her voice. The two settled in to the couch. "I wanted to stay here and hide from the world, but that would never have worked forever. I had to go back, or I'd be hiding forever."

"And you're too strong to do that," Henry said, kissing the top of her head. "And at least everything turned out alright. Daniel issued a press release denying everything and the reporters stopped following you."

"Yeah, at least everything is cleared up now," she said. "That picture, though." Betty paused and took a deep breath. "I would give anything for people not to have seen that picture."

"Speaking from the perspective of an objective red blooded male, ignoring the fact that I happen to be hopelessly in love with you," he started then paused to take a deep breath. He added in a whisper, "You look really good in the at picture."

Betty rolled her eyes and promptly smacked him in the head with a pillow. "What? I'm serious," he said.

"You think so?" she asked with a look of mischief. He nodded sincerely. "You know, I do still have that outfit at home…"

The End

* * *

A/N: Yes, that's right, the story is done. Feedback is always appreciated, and will determine whether I write the sequel (Uninvited Guests) and whether I post the vignette (Uncomplicated Saturday). So, review! 


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